The use of colony-stimulating factors in primary hematologic disorders

The cloning of the human colony-stimulating factors (CSF), granulocyte CSF, granulocyte-macrophage CSF, and interleukin-3 has led to their use in a variety of clinical settings.

These CSF have been used successfully to raise neutrophil counts and prevent or control infection in patients with neutropenia due to primary hematologic disorders. Their effects on platelet and erythrocyte counts have been modest; occasional patients have multilineage improvement in hematopoiesis.

The CSF can be given for several months at effective and tolerable doses. Their long-term efficacies and toxicities remain to be elucidated, and the optimal dose and dosing schedule to be used for each indication are not defined currently. Although the CSF can improve hematopoiesis in patients with primary hematologic disorders, they are not curative.